


Till We All Breathe Our Last

by HarpforHim



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fire Lord Zuko, Gen, Hurt Sokka (Avatar), Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Katara (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Minor Aang/Katara, Minor Sokka/Suki, Natural Disasters, Oblivious Zuko (Avatar), POV Aang (Avatar), POV Mai (Avatar), POV Toph Beifong, POV Zuko (Avatar), Post-Canon, Post-War, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar) whump, Zuko (Avatar)-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:08:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29564481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarpforHim/pseuds/HarpforHim
Summary: “We need to get everyone off the beach... Now!” He shouted when Sokka didn’t move.The impact came five seconds after Zuko’s body had hit the ground. Immeasurable shock followed, along with a set of arms wrenching against his chest. And in the fierce darkness, he lost all sense of direction and time.As well as the breath he'd been so desperate to hold.Sorry, Sokka…On a beach day gone dark, the Gaang and their friends are thrown headfirst into a wild game of survival against an enemy unlike any they’ve bested before: a natural disaster.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), The Gaang & Ty Lee (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Iroh
Comments: 13
Kudos: 85





	1. The Impact

**Author's Note:**

> I just got finished watching a natural disaster movie, and I’m super into the Avatar fandom right now... So here we are.

The last time Zuko had been to the beach was less than memorable. He'd won a game of volleyball with his psychotic sister, shouted a lot, and trashed a party.

Less than memorable, indeed.

In fact, Zuko didn't particularly even _like_ beaches. They were always either too hot or too windy, and there was too much sand always getting anywhere. Unpleasant at the best, and absolutely miserable at the very worst.

So, when Aang suggested a day trip to the beach, it was all Zuko could do to bite back a groan. Instead, he'd slumped in his seat as the rest of his friends nodded or shouted in agreement. Even his uncle seemed to be enthused with the idea, the traitor.

And that's how the young Fire Lord found himself sitting on a blanket next to Mai—again—under an umbrella that did nothing at all for the humidity, watching Aang surf on the waves using no more than a gust of wind.

Some people had all the fun.

In all honesty, he would've preferred to spend the rest of their visit to the Earth Kingdom at the Jasmine Dragon, where everyone would sit and play games, share stories and cups of tea, and _relax_.

The beach was far from relaxing. It was too hot to truly get any rest in, and all the noise was enough to send Zuko's already pounding headache into a full-on migraine.

Maybe he just needed to be more like Aang, or Ty Lee and Katara, who were in the middle of trying to best Suki and Sokka in a sandcastle-building competition—which Toph had already won, in his opinion, even though she'd opted out of participating. Something about already being too good for anyone to beat…

Beside him, Mai exhaled a light groan. _Here it comes._

"It's hot."

"I know," Zuko replied, never taking his dazed stare off Sokka's pathetic castle.

" _I'm_ hot."

"What do you want _me_ to do about it?"

Out of the corner of his good eye, he could see her frown deepen. "I don't know. _You_ brought me here."

" _You_ wanted to come."

"Because there was nothing else to do," she shot back, her voice rising ever so slightly.

"Well, if you're looking for someone to entertain you, go talk to Ty Lee."

A rough jab to his ribs had him gasping. Mai looked anything but apologetic.

"Hey! Look, I hate the beach as much as you do, but you don't see _me_ complaining about it!"

"I don't know," Mai responded, turning back to watch the controlled chaos playing out in front of them like an Ember Island Theater production. Apparently, Toph had _accidentally_ fallen into Sokka's castle and he was now chasing her through the waves. _Typical._ "I'm pretty sure I heard you whining to your uncle a while ago. Like always."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Finally, her gaze was upon him, its dull embers slowly flickering to life. "Is there more than one meaning that I'm missing?"

He'd tried to remain calm—really, he _had_. But this was the third argument they'd gotten into with each other and it was just more of the same. To be fair, Zuko _had_ started the last one, but _she_ had been the one flicking sand everywhere. It wasn't _his_ fault that she was bored.

Instead of lashing out with another biting retort, Zuko slammed his hand against their blanket and pushed himself off the ground.

"I'm done with this," he muttered, just loud enough for his girlfriend to hear.

He didn't look back as he stalked over to his uncle's blanket, where the man was basking in the golden rays of sun and sipping a fresh cup of tea.

Silently fuming, Zuko plopped down on the large blanket and began pouring himself some of whatever was left in the teapot, trying desperately to bring his anger from a boil to a simmer.

"Having trouble with your lady, Nephew?"

Zuko tightened his grip on the cup. "She's not _my_ lady."

"Isn't she?"

When the young Fire Lord didn't reply, Iroh sat up, still sipping his tea.

And then he gave him that _look_ —the one expression that could melt Zuko in an instant, _curse him_.

"She's just so… _difficult,_ " he found himself venting between gulps of lukewarm tea. "And it's like she goes out of her way to be like that, too!"

"Perhaps you need to have a bit more patience—"

"I've _been_ patient!" Only when he noticed Ty Lee and Katara had paused their castle-making to glance at him did Zuko realize he'd been shouting. With a sigh, he focused back in on his uncle. "I mean, I'm _trying_ to be patient. But she just complains _all_ the time, and I've never had to deal with that before."

He wasn't sure why his uncle was chuckling now, but Zuko knew that if he thought about it long enough, the answer would come to him. Maybe that's why he didn't think on it for even a second.

"I believe I know how to solve your problem, Nephew," Iroh began with a grin. "I think you need to listen to her better than you have been, and don't simply listen, but _hear_ what she is trying to say. Sometimes—most times—women say one thing, but mean something entirely different."

Zuko felt his face contort slightly, scrunching into something that bordered along the lines of both confusion and disgust. "Why would they even _do_ that?"

Another chuckle. "To find out if we're paying as close attention to them as we would have them believe. What exactly did she say?"

Shrugging Zuko downed the last of his tea. "She said she was hot."

"Then perhaps she wanted you to bring her a cool drink, or even a fan. Maybe,"—and when his uncle's eye twinkled, Zuko had to swallow back a groan—"she was hoping you would take her into the water."

"Maybe…" Zuko shot a quick glance at Mai, who was still slumped under the umbrella.

"Before you listen to her, however," Iroh pressed on, adjusting his wide coned hat in order to better block the sun, "you have to listen to _yourself._ "

"Myself?"

"Well, it's a little hypocritical to complain to someone about how you much you dislike when people complain to _you_."

Heat pulled at Zuko's cheeks. "Oh. Right. Uh… sorry about that."

"Don't apologize. Instead, tell me what you're going to do."

"I'm going to… bring her a cold drink?"

"Ah, but we don't have any of those, unless she wants to wait for cold tea."

"Okay… A fan, then?"

"Good. What else?"

"I'm going to… bring it to her…?" Honestly, where was his uncle going with this?

"Naturally. What else?"

"Well, what do you want me to do, fan her? I don't think she'd like that."

"No, Nephew, what _else_ …?"

_There's more?_

"Oh!" Zuko's eyes widened. "You mean take her swimming."

Iroh nodded his approval.

"Right." A small smile was all Zuko had to offer, but it was better than nothing. "Thank you, Uncle. I really don't know what I'd do without you."

The tips of Iroh's lips turned up. "I'm sure you'd manage."

"I wish the feeling was mutual," Zuko murmured as he rose from the blanket and made his way back to Mai.

The umbrella was empty when he arrived, however, after he'd even snatched up a fan from Suki's blanket and everything.

"I'm sure you two will get over yourselves soon." Sokka's nonchalance penetrated whatever thoughts Zuko had been trying to form.

A dry chuckle tore at his throat. "Are we really that obvious?"

"No." He felt Sokka's hand come to rest on his shoulder. "It's just you, buddy."

"Great. Thanks."

"Hey, don't mention it," his friend replied with a shrug, and even without looking, Zuko could tell the teen was grinning wildly. "But seriously, I think you two just have some kinks to work out."

"Did you and Suki have any… _kinks_." Zuko spat the word as he gazed at Mai, who'd migrated closer to the water's edge, dipping her feet in while she conversed with Ty Lee and Katara.

"Uh…" Sokka rubbed at the back of his neck and Zuko followed his gaze to where Suki splashed with Toph in the deeper waves. "Our beginning was a bit… rough, to say the least. But that was totally my fault."

Zuko raised a brow.

"Long story, but the short of it is that she taught me a lot about sexism, that's for sure."

"That's… not what I thought you were gonna say. Wait,"—and Zuko turned to study his friend—"was that why you were all dressed up like a girl when I invaded Kyoshi Island?"

"I was dressed like a _warrior_. Get your facts straight."

"Right," Zuko replied, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Sorry. And what, now you're some professional surfer wannabe?"

Straightening his beach tunic, Sokka tilted his chin. "It's called style."

Still, when Aang had suggested they all get new, matching beachwear, Zuko had gone for the toned down colors, picking his out of the darker green hues. His boisterous friend, on the other hand, had chosen a bright Earth Kingdom green set, trimmed nearly in gold.

"Besides," Sokka added, "I was starting to burn."

"Right."

"So. Up for a game of frisbee?"

"With _that_?" Zuko vigorously shook his head as Sokka held up his precious boomerang. "I can still remember the last time that thing whacked me in the head."

"So… is that a yes?"

"You never give up, do you?"

Sokka snorted. "It depends on the situation. So, was that a yes or a…"

But Zuko was no longer paying attention. In fact, he found it difficult to hear Sokka, or anything, for that matter, over the bubbling ring in his ears.

"We need to get everyone off the beach." It took him a long moment to even realize that the words were his own, so fixed was he on the ocean ahead. "Now!" He shouted when Sokka didn't move. "We need to get everyone off the beach _now_ —!"

A shrill scream pierced the air and Zuko whipped around from where he was roughly shaking Sokka to find Ty Lee pointing at the horror he'd noticed far too late.

"Everyone, get back!" Katara cried, yanking Ty Lee off the ground and scurrying away from the water's edge.

It wasn't long after that the rest of the group saw it—the danger fast approaching.

The giant wall of water careening straight toward them.

"What?" He heard Toph call out from somewhere as Sokka grabbed his wrist and began dragging him backward. "What's happening? What is it?"

"Tidal wave!" Suki replied, her voice taught with barely reined in panic. "Grab my hand!"

When Zuko felt the ground rumble, nearly knocking him off his feet, some part of him knew the Kyoshi Warrior wouldn't be able to reach the young metalbender in time.

But it was more than just a tidal wave… _Tidal waves don't darken the sky like that._

"We've got to get Toph!" Zuko shouted in Sokka's ear. "And where's—?"

_Mai._ A frantic scan of the beach revealed nothing but chaos. He couldn't see her with everyone scrambling around like it was doomsday. _Maybe it is. For us._

The water was pushing closer, threatening to bury them all in a foamy, wet grave.

But Sokka was still dragging him away, almost as if the warrior couldn't focus on anything else. As if he couldn't break himself out of the trance of self-preservation.

And that shook Zuko to the core, because this wasn't Sokka. Not the Sokka _he_ knew.

_Mai—!_

Then, he spotted her, running like mad into the woods with Ty Lee.

He needed to get to her, and to—

"Katara!" _No, not—_ "What in the world do you think you're _doing_?"

After fighting so long to be free of Sokka's grip, Zuko found himself feeling very lost now that it was gone.

"If I can make it collide with another wall of water," the Master Bender explained quickly, slowing her retreat back to the ocean only the slightest bit, "I can buy you all more time to escape!"

"Katara, no—!" Sokka protested, but she had already passed them up.

"I know what I'm doing! Now, go!"

It was Zuko's turn to grab hold of Sokka, dragging his friend toward the thick forests lining the shore.

They were almost there. Almost… If they would just scale a tall enough tree, they might be able to avoid the worst of it.

_Uncle Iroh!_

The thought struck him like a lightning bolt to the chest, and he knew all-too-well what that felt like. The sensation was enough to send him jerking backward, nearly knocking Sokka off balance in the process.

"What?" Sokka gasped, trying to recenter himself.

"Uncle! I need to—Where is he?" His eyes answered the question before his tongue could finish flicking out the words.

"I'm sure he's fine! But we have to go, its getting cl—"

_There._ Across a sea of scattered picnic blankets and beach towels, Iroh held Toph by the hand, guiding her away from the water. _Of course._

The roar of the oncoming wave was so loud now that Zuko could barely hear himself think. So he didn't, he simply let his legs make the decision for him.

Because he had to get to his uncle. He wouldn't lose him; he _couldn't_ lose him.

_Not again. Not—_

"Zuko!" Something crashed into him, sending his sprint to a screeching halt as he collapsed face first onto the sand.

His first thought was that the wave had finally caught up to them all, pressing in overtop the beachbums with enough force to knock the life out of each and every one of them.

But as he sucked in a harsh breath, he realized with renewed horror that the disaster still had yet to strike. They had a few agonizing seconds left to pretend like there was something they could do to save themselves.

Panting heavily, it was Sokka's turn to shout in Zuko's ear. "Take a deep breath and hold it! Whatever you do, don't let it go!"

As Zuko sucked in more air than he was sure his lungs could handle, he felt Sokka stiffen, bracing himself from his place atop Zuko.

The impact came five seconds after Zuko's body had hit the ground. Immeasurable shock followed, along with a set of arms wrenching against his chest.

And in the fierce darkness, Zuko lost all sense of direction and time.

As well as the breath he'd been so desperate to hold.

_Sorry, Sokka…_


	2. Suffocation

She couldn't see anything. Her legs whipped about as salty water bit at her unseeing eyes. _Close them, close them!_ Her brain screamed, but all her mental energy was focused on keeping the air in her lungs and that warm hand around her wrist.

Part of her couldn't even remember who the hand belonged to, but she continued to latch onto it anyway, determined not to let go.

If she did, she would be lost to the void.

She couldn't cry, she couldn't scream. She could only flop and twist with the current, hoping her small supply of air wouldn't run out before she reached the surface.

But which way? Where was she and where was she going? What seemed like the bottom turned out to be a thick tree intent on bashing open her skull. What she was sure had to be the direction of the surface only sent her spiraling further down, down, _down._

_Help!_ It was the only word her brain knew; the only coherent thought she could pick out amidst the jumble of gibberish that cluttered her mind.

A sudden blast of cool air smacked her in the face, commanding her to _breathe!_ Toph gasped, closing her mouth a second too late as a rush of water enveloped her once more.

Now her throat was burning. She need air—needed to _breathe_.

All she could do was cough until she was certain she'd rendered her throat ragged and bloody.

Again, her head lifted above the water, and again it was pulled back under without mercy.

The entire ocean was without mercy. Toph had always hated it, not being able to see when she was in the water. Not being able to _feel_.

Something told her that this was the end. Perhaps it was the way her wracking coughs had dragged the last of the air from her lungs. Or the bolt of pain that shot through her head as she flopped like a ragdoll against another tree trunk—this one felt loose, as if it could circle back around and smack her again at any moment.

Like Sokka's boomerang.

_Sokka._

Her friends.

Where—?

_Help!_

The hand on her wrist tightened, and soon, she had smacked against another tree. This one was softer, and it stayed with her as a branch snaked itself across her chest, locking her into the watery prison that would soon be her grave.

_Help!_

And then she was breathing again. She wasn't sure how or when she'd started gasping for air, but she was _breathing_.

Then, she was flying; soaring through the air like Aang on a wind scooter. _Aang…_

When her hands found purchase on whatever it was she'd been thrown against, Toph scrambled into a more secure position.

_Inhale, exhale…_ Though each breath sounded more like a choked gasp, soon her lung held enough air for her to think again.

And she remembered the _hand._

_Iroh._

"Uncle Iroh!" she cried, wishing for the first time in so long that she could _see_. She needed to find him. He couldn't drown because of her. Because he'd tried to save _her._

She wouldn't let him.

"Uncle Iroh!" Never had she heard her voice sound so raw, so panicked. Not even when she was dangling from that airship, with Sokka as her only lifeline.

_Sokka…_

"Uncle—!" Her own startled scream cut her off, but she hadn't expected the sudden hand on her arm, nor the ragged gasps that rang in her ears.

"U-Uncle…?"

"It's m-me," a familiar voice coughed. "Suki."

Relief flooeded through the young earthbender. "You have to find him!"

"Who?" Suki asked between cough after sopping wet cough.

"Uncle Iroh! I-I think he threw me over here, but then—"

A sudden splash nearly stopped Toph's heart.

_Suki._ Her lips moved, but she didn't hear any sound. _Suki!_

_Don't leave… Don't leave…_

Suki's cry, when it finally came, was earpiercing, but Toph wouldn't have traded it for the world.

"Iroh! Grab my hand!"

Certain that she would choke on her rapidly beating heart, Toph tightened her grip on the… her best guess was a tree trunk? By the way she bobbed and jerked with the tide, she assumed it'd been uprooted.

Which begged the question: was she floating closer to her friends? Or further away…

_Suki!_

Several more piercing shouts assaulted her ears and Toph clung to her makeshift raft for dear life, knowing that if she were to let go, she might never resurface again.

Just when she was about to try calling out to Suki again, a hand slapped atop her arm. This time, she didn't scream.

"S-Suki?" She managed, finding her voice at last.

A few strangled gasps, and then: "We're here, Toph."

"Uncle Iroh?" She inquired hopefully.

His only response was a large hand enveloping her small one, along with many ragged breaths.

"We're here," Suki panted again, almost as if she was trying to reassure herself of this fact, not Toph.

They were together. They weren't safe yet—far from it—but they were _together_. With Suki's shivering hand on her arm and Iroh's hand resting against her own, Toph let herself relax, just a little. _Just a little_ …

_Don't let go._ _**Please** _ _, don't let go._

This couldn't be the end.

A rough shiver wracked her body.

She wouldn't _let_ it be the end.

_Not until I can say goodbye to them._

_To_ _**everyone** _ _._

* * *

He was drowning—he was _dying_.

No, he was going to freeze again. He could just feel it; could feel his emotions taking control, ripping the reins from his trembling fingers.

Powerless. Unless he could get his fear under control, he was _powerless._

But, no—He was… He was… _something._ He'd mastered…

_What?_

Water burned his eyes and pressed mercilessly against his ears. He was going to die. No, he was going to _freeze_.

Freeze and be lost to the world for another hundred years. Without his friends.

Without—

_Appa_.

The tufts of fur beneath his knees was the only familiar sensation in a sea of black.

Gasping, the young savior hadn't noticed his extreme lack of air intake until the wind was whipping around his sopping body as it flew through the air. Until the sweet breath of life filled his lungs once more.

Until the top of Appa's head rested steady and solid beneath him.

In a fit of coughing that ran his throat ragged, Aang gripped the clumps of fur, holding on for all he was worth.

A low bellow was the push he needed to open his eyes. Though it stung to do so, he took in his surroundings as quickly as he could.

And he _remembered_.

There was no ice; there was no South Pole.

_My friends…_

"Ap—" Another series of coughs sent him heaving for air once more. "Appa! Go… Go back… Go _back_! There down… down there. We can't… We can't…"

The sky bison shifted only the slightest bit, but it was nearly enough to knock its rider back into the raging ocean.

It was all Aang could do to haul his body into the saddle, ignoring the way his muscles screamed in protest; the way his joints clicked and popped with each bit of movement.

"We c-can't…"

When he had taken away Ozai's bending all those months ago, he hadn't thought about what that might feel like.

Now, as his limbs gave out beneath him, leaving his face to fend for itself as it smashed into the saddle padding, Aang was sure he knew. And he _never_ wanted to feel this way again.

_We can't leave them…_

_We can't…_

_We… can't…_

* * *

They couldn't leave it like that.

Why is it they always left things in such a bad place?

And why couldn't they have just _one_ day without conflict? _Is that too much to ask?_

Perhaps it was too much.

_Sometimes, it's all too much._

Her adrenaline was dying down now, and while Mai had always taken pride in her high tolerance for pain, it was growing increasingly difficult to ignore the throbbing in her leg.

It was intense and it was relentless.

And it was beginning to drive her absolutely _mad._

Yet, she couldn't let go. To do so would be suicide, and she wouldn't just be taking her own life.

With a strength she didn't feel, Mai hefted Katara's limp body further onto the tree branch so she wouldn't slip again. Then, she readjusted her own hold, fighting against the swift current tugging at her legs.

The branch was just thick enough to hold them both, but not wide enough to sit on without tumbling backwards. This meant Mai not only had to balance herself as she lay flopped over the makeshift life vest, but she also had to keep a firm hand on Katara, even as the current continued to wrap its watery fists around the bender.

_No!_ Mai refused to go down without a fight.

_Maybe that's why it was so easy to keep arguing—_ But no, she wouldn't think about him right now. To think about Zuko would only beg the question of his own chances of survival. She refused to believe he was dead.

_He can't be_.

They couldn't just leave it like that… Not after everything. To lose him now, with their argument still unresolved—with so much tension clouding their bond—she just couldn't do it.

She _wouldn't_ do it. She _wouldn't_ lose him.

Beside her, Katara jerked, yet her eyelids remained limp and _closed_.

Mai bit down on her tongue, her only defense against the pain; against the aftermath of some stupid chunk of debris bashing against their legs in its race to follow the current.

_Figures_. As if her leg didn't hurt enough already.

When her thoughts began to shift from Zuko to Ty Lee, Mai cut off that channel, too. It was better not to think. Not yet. To think would mean remembering the way her young friend had disappeared beneath the waves, gobbled up by the force of nature as if she was nothing but a patch of foam.

Zuko might not be dead yet, but Ty Lee certainly was. There was no way she could've surv—

_No._ Mai grunted, readjusting her grip. _No!_

She couldn't let herself think like that—

"No!" Mai wasn't a screamer. She'd never cared for the way girls her age would scream and cry over the tiniest things.

Overreaction was far beneath her. She hadn't even cried out when the first wave hit, she'd simply sucked in a breath and held it.

But when she saw Katara's unconscious form begin to slip quickly off the branch, she _screamed_.

"No! No, don't you _dare_!" The two girls had never truly reached the level of friendship that Katara had with Suki and Toph, or the kind Mai cherished with Ty Lee, but somehow, Mai couldn't imagine a world without the young Master Bender.

She was Mai's friend only by association, but that didn't mean they couldn't build a friendship of their own together. Someday…

Someday, Katara might be her closest friend in the world.

And Mai wasn't going to lose the chance to find out. Not if she could help it.

Grabbing Katara's arm so hard she was certain the skin would bruise later, Mai flung the girl against the branch before carefully shifting to rest behind her back. She would be Katara's barrier, her lifeline, and she would keep the bender from slipping away again.

Even if that meant overstraining her arms as she locked them into place on the branch.

Even if that meant pressing Katara so hard into the slick wood that she cracked a few ribs.

Because broken ribs could be fixed.

But if they got sucked into the water once more, Mai knew they would never come back up again.


End file.
